Angus Konstam: American Privateers of the Revolutionary War
by Konstam, Angus & Wright, Paul (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781472836342
Published: 2020-02-18
This title explores the ships and history of the enterprising American patriots who fought the Royal Navy as privateers, and played a major part in winning the Revolutionary War at sea. During the American War of Independence (1775–83), Congress issued almost 800 letters of marque as a way of combating Britain's overwhelming naval and mercantile superiority. At first, it was only fishermen and the skippers of small merchant ships who turned to privateering, with mixed results. Eventually though, American shipyards began to turn out specially-converted ships, while later still, the first purpose-built privateers entered the fray. These American privateers seized more than 600 British merchant ships over the course of the war, capturing thousands of British seamen. Indeed, Jeremiah O'Brien's privateer Unity successfully fought the first sea engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Machias of 1775. With just 40 men, their guns, axes, and pitchforks and the words “Surrender...
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